Sparcely Seen
by residentmotherhen
Summary: When Hiccup misses their meeting, again, Astrid finds a humorous way to vent her frustration to the team. RTTE One-Shot. Previously posted on Tumblr for Tarch's August art challenge.


Astrid stalks into the Clubhouse, eyes darting around the room quickly but failing to meet her target. Her forehead furrows, dejected. Fishlegs was curled up against Meatlug in a corner, working dedicatedly on the newest entry to the Book of Dragons, while Snotlout and Tuffnut sit at a table in the middle of the room with a dice game, Ruffnut prowling circles and grinning knowingly at the pile of coins Tuff had seemed to accumulate. A certain one-legged Viking, however, was nowhere to be found.

"Has anyone seen Hiccup?" she calls out, grip tightening, and all look up at her tone. Snotlout jerks his thumb towards the work surface around the fireplace, distracted.

"Yeah, he was in here awhile ago banging around." Astrid's nose scrunches in thought. Fishlegs chimes in helpfully.

"He's working on some new prototype of a new tail for Toothless– he says it's supposed to help with turns and loops and flips and such." Astrid's gaze flits to where Snotlout had gestured, taking in the tools, rivets, and canvas strewn haphazardly across the area as Fish adds as an afterthought, "Or at least that's what he was muttering about, anyway. He hasn't been in here for awhile." Ruffnut gives her a knowing look, smirking.

"He in trouble?" Astrid scowls.

"We were supposed to meet an hour ago." Tuffnut's head snaps up, a mischievous, superior grin on his face.

"Ohohoho, trouble in paradise, eh?" Astrid fixes him with a glare, snorting as Ruff whacks him.

"We were going to spar." She lifts the object dangling in her hand for them to see. "I already checked his hut– it's a disaster, but no Hiccup." She drops the pair of Deathsong-amber goggles back at her side with a sigh. He had forgotten. Again. Fishlegs speaks up sympathetically from the corner.

"Maybe he remembered and left to find you? He could be at the arena right now." Her head tilts and she looks somewhat appeased by the thought, but her expression quickly darkens again as she notices something leaning up against the base of the counter.

"Or not…" She steps over to it, lifting it up for them to see. "His sword is here." Rolling her eyes at his predictableness – why had she expected anything different!? – she stares down at her hands, those gods-forsaken goggles in one hand, and lunatic fire-sword in the other. Frustrated, she frowns down at the goggles, wondering how in the world he thought them to be in any way practical, before suddenly pulling them over her head. She blinks in surprise at the narrowed, oddly-colored vision, turning from side to side to peer at this new view of the world.

"How does he even see in these?" She turns back towards the others, arms held out in front of her as she takes a short step.

The others had stopped paying much attention. Tuffnut was carefully guarding his own roll of dice with a grin, and Snotlout was in the process of shaking his own in their wooden cup, before dumping it over onto the table. Shielding it so only he can see, he stares at it for a moment before looking up at Tuff with a lift of his eyebrows.

"Two fives." Ruff saunters ever so casually away, glancing behind her– and towards his roll– before yanking violently on one of her braids. Tuff eyes her sagely then purses his lips with a smug sneer, staring at the other young man for an uncomfortably long time before jumping abruptly from his seat.

"LIAR!" He announces it grandly, knocking aside each of their cups to reveal Snotlout's bluff, and his own pair of sixes. Snotlout groans, slamming his last few coins onto the table. He looks up towards Astrid, waving her arms before her as she tries another step.

"Careful there, Hiccup," he snorts. She pauses, a calculating look stealing across her face as her lips curl up in a smirk.

"Me?" she asks indignantly, gesturing dramatically towards herself. She puffs her chest out, arms waving randomly and adopting a higher, scratchier tone. I'm Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third– I don't have a reckless bone in my body! "Tuff sniggers, and even Fishlegs looks up, amused. "See, I made these dorky goggles–"

"You know you love 'em!" Ruff interrupts by hollering out. Astrid fixes her with a glare and continues.

"–To keep my eyes safe while I make my flaming sword!" She swings it as she says it, jumping a bit at the whoosh of flame as she accidentally triggers it but continuing merrily onward. She has their full attention, encouraged and grinning at the hollers and whoops of laughter. "I'm Hiccup Haddock– my greatest friend ever is the most dangerous dragon to ever live! I don't ever think about anything besides dragons and my reckless inventions that are going to get me killed. I–"

"Hey, has anyone seen my…" Hiccup trails off, standing in the doorway of the Clubhouse and blinking in incomprehension. "Uh… What's going on here?" Astrid freezes, and the others fail to stifle their giggles.

"Uh, Hiccup?" Fishlegs has his hand clamped over his mouth to stop the breaths of laughter that bubble up, mumbling through, "You might be better off running…" It's too late though. Astrid yanks the goggles off, lifting a prodding eyebrow as she steps nearer, eyeing his torn clothing and fresh scratches.

"Where have you been?" His forehead furrows in consternation, not understanding what was happening, but knowing by the tone in her voice that he had done, had forgotten, something, but– oh. OH. Realization dawns and it hits him.

"Heeey! Astrid. H-hi, Astrid, hey–" he takes an involuntary step back as he eyes the flaming sword that she holds forgotten, other hand planted firmly on her hip. His hand flies up to grasp the back of his neck, the other flailing nervously. "I, uh, well you see…" She frowns grimly, a clear and unamused challenge. Ruffnut cackles in glee.

"Oh, this I can't wait to see."

* * *

 **Alright so I posted this to tumblr about a month ago, and realized today that I never actually posted it here. Oops. Soooooo first fully-written fanfiction, ever, written at 3am. A horrible, horrible idea, really. My most sincere apologies if you actually read this. I will be available between the hours of nine and three to receive the expected barrage of rotten tomatoes.**

 **Also, a HUGE thanks to the incredible elsaandabanana on tumblr for letting me use her gorgeous matching art for the cover! Go check out her art blog- she has some awesome stuff. (She definitely deserves roses given rather than tomatoes thrown, though, so do NOT let me catch you mixing those two up...)**


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